


Starlight Prince

by sainnis



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Caretaking, Fairy Tale Elements, First Time, Half-Elf Keith, Hand Jobs, Hurt/Comfort, Intimacy, Love Confessions, M/M, Magic, Non-Penetrative Sex, Prince Shiro (Voltron), Soft Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:35:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25813657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sainnis/pseuds/sainnis
Summary: Prince Shiro and his half-elf sworn Shield, Keith, are on the run after Shiro's exile. When they're attacked in the woods, they make their way to a healing fairy pool, but the fairies require proof of their bond first.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 49
Kudos: 211





	Starlight Prince

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Sheith In Summer 2020! 
> 
> Day One: Skinny Dipping
> 
> Thanks to @goldentruth813 for sponsoring and running Sheith In Summer!

Someone’s saying his name. Shouting it, actually. He hopes it’s Keith. It better be Keith. 

It’s doubtful the giant spiders know his name. Or speak their language, come to that. 

Shiro struggles to open his eyes; the blazing red torchlight Keith carries is far too bright. It’s so hot. Every puff of air feels like he’s breathing underwater. “Shiro. Hey. There you are.” Keith’s kneeling beside him, one gloved hand touching Shiro’s cheek. “Don’t try to move. You’re hurt.”

Shiro’s tongue feels thick in his mouth. “They’re gone?”

“I killed the big one that attacked you and a few more after. The rest scattered. They hate the elflight.” Keith exhales, leaning closer. “I need to check your wounds.”

“I’m fine, don’t--gods!” Shiro stifles a cry when Keith’s fingers touch his side. He cranes his neck, trying to see for himself. He blinks, a gasp stuck in his throat. “I got bit.” The telltale marks from the spider’s mandible are visible, two vicious slashes through his chainmail, each seeping blood. “I’m poisoned.” He stares up at Keith, the most beautiful person he’s ever seen. He can’t have someone so perfect be at risk. “You shouldn’t touch me. You might be affected, too.”

Keith sniffs. “I’m your sworn shield. It’s my job to touch you if the need arises, and carry you, if need be.” He pulls off his glove, placing his hand near the wound. Shiro lets out an embarrassing sound, a pained whine that betrays every bit of training he received as the crown prince. “It’s too deep for me to heal. I can at least slow the poison a bit, though.” Light seeps from Keith’s palm, sinking into Shiro’s skin. It doesn’t do much to dull the pain, but Keith’s touch is still a welcome balm. “We need to keep you calm, not move too fast. Deep breaths, all right?”

He should be used to Keith’s grounding presence. Ever since his uncle took over the throne and banished Shiro beyond the borders of his country, Keith’s been the only constant in his life, his only true companion when everyone else believed him a traitor. He’d tried to make Keith leave him, to give him his freedom and let him escape his vows of protection, but Keith refused. His warm voice never shook. “I don’t break promises, my prince.”

Growing up in court, such loyalty was rare. “Call me Shiro.” It took Keith a long time to come around to leaving the royal honorifics behind, but Shiro wore him down. 

Shiro tries to breathe, but even with Keith’s healing magic, the pain rattles his chest. “What are we going to do?”

“I’ve been through these woods before, when I was very small. There’s a fairy pool here. The waters will dispel the poison. We need to get there as fast as we can.” Keith rises to his feet with a soft grunt.

Shiro tugs at the hem of Keith’s dark tunic. He used to wear Shiro’s colors, but since they’ve been on the run, he’s taken to wearing black. “Are you all right?”

“I’ll be fine as soon as I see you well.” Keith helps Shiro to his feet, wrapping an arm around Shiro to steady him. “Do you think you can walk?”

Shiro nods, even though he isn’t quite sure. “How far is it to the pool?”

“Probably a league or two.” Keith adjusts his hold on Shiro. Even though it’s nightfall, the forest thrums with summer heat. They’re both sticky with sweat and blood--Keith with the spiders’ and Shiro with his own--and Shiro shudders to think of how awful he smells. He hasn’t had a proper bath in a few weeks and he’s sure Keith must be disgusted having Shiro so close. He used to love sleeping on the balcony of his room on summer nights, he and Keith pulling their pallets beside one another on the cool stone, but those quiet nights are long gone. 

Keith dims his elflight, partly to lower their visibility, Shiro realizes, and partly to conserve his magic. Whatever he used on Shiro to stem the poison had to have taken a lot out of him. Shiro still doesn’t quite understand the limits of Keith’s abilities, but given the fact they’ve been traveling for nearly a full day and he’d used some of his magic during the attack, Shiro assumes he must be depleted.

He’s close enough to Keith that he can feel his breaths against his neck. “Thank you,” Shiro says. “For saving me.”

Keith lets out a soft laugh. “You’re not saved yet. Working on it.”

“If it wasn’t for you, right now I’d be trussed up back in the spiders’ lair, about to be drained dry into a princely husk.”

“Gods.” Keith shivers. “Fuck, I hate spiders.”

They travel near the path through the woods, but not directly on it; there are enough would-be bounty seekers who are after Shiro’s head in this part of the realm that it’s not safe to be seen. Staying at inns or even with lesser nobles who are still loyal to Shiro’s cause, as few of those as there are, hasn’t been possible and Shiro’s back aches from sleeping on the ground. His left arm is wrapped around Keith’s waist, and his elf-made right arm glows faintly purple, still holding a short sword. Though Shiro himself doesn’t possess any magic power, his replacement arm sings with it, a wonder of sorcery and craft. That, too, would not exist without Keith, because his mother, Queen in her own right, had performed the spell herself after Shiro lost his arm.  


Keith could have stayed in her castle, but he couldn’t be heir. Keith’s human father made it impossible for him to take his mother’s throne. Instead he chooses Shiro and his broken crown. It hardly seems fair, or wise, and yet Keith doesn’t question; he just remains at Shiro’s side. He’s become as familiar to Shiro as his own heartbeat, ever-present, keeping him alive. 

The flat ground turns into a hill beneath their feet and Shiro tries to keep his breathing quiet, but before long he’s panting with effort, wheezing the humid air. His legs wobble and the pain of his wound, which had been bearable, starts to throb, making each moment a misery. When they’d been attacked, Shiro hadn’t thought anything of it. He and Keith make an excellent fighting team. What Shiro lacks in speed, he more than makes up for in strength, and ever since his banishment, Keith’s taught Shiro everything he never learned from his quartermasters back at court. But this wound, Shiro realizes as he gasps for breath, could well kill him before they ever make it to the fairy pool. 

“Shiro. Shiro, stop.” Keith holds him upright, quietly murmuring soft words against Shiro’s ear. “The poison’s moving through you too quickly. I need to stop it.”

Shiro shudders, suddenly shivering in the warm air under the trees. That can’t be a good sign. “You’re using too much magic.”

“I’m fine. I need to make you sleep. It’s the only way to stop it now.” His eyes are luminous, violet. He knows Keith can see as well as a cat in the dark. He sees all the things Shiro wishes he could hide. “Do you trust me?”

“Always.”

Keith touches his gloveless hand over Shiro’s throat, but he hesitates on the spell, leaning forward instead to press a soft, unexpected kiss against Shiro’s mouth. 

Shiro gasps. “Keith, I--” His words fall away as the moon swings wide, spiraling overhead before the darkness rushes up to meet him. 

++

Something tastes like flowers. 

One time, when Shiro was ten, the royal chef covered his birthday cake in edible flowers. Violas, pansies, dianthus, strawberry blossoms, chamomile. He’d been so sickly as a child, always under the care of healers and physicians, and when his tenth birthday arrived, the entire kingdom stopped to celebrate him. The flowers were delicate on his tongue, minty and nutty, contrasting with the sweet cake and icing. He remembered eating slice after slice until his stomach ached, until he was bursting with sugar and flour and butter. 

Ten years later, on his twentieth, he sat underneath a spreading oak in the pouring rain. He and Keith had been on the run for about two weeks at that point. Shiro had barely said a handful of sentences in that time, letting the silence reign. Keith doesn’t mind silence. He himself barely makes a sound stepping across the forest floor or crossing a small stream. He was quiet when he appeared next to Shiro, bumping his shoulder. “It’s your birthday, my prince,” Keith had said.

“It’s not anything to celebrate.” Shiro had rubbed roughly at his eyes. He was tired of the mud, tired of the rain, tired of sleeping on the ground. He wanted his room, his bed, his horse, his chefs, his bath. 

Keith stepped closer, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket. “I know it’s not much,” he said softly, “But I celebrate you.” 

Shiro took the tiny bundle, unwrapping it carefully. Inside was a single oat cake, topped with a bit of honey and a single violet. 

He didn’t mean to burst into tears. It was fairly unbecoming of the heir apparent to demonstrate deep emotion in public, let alone to cry, but Shiro did. Keith reached out, his slim fingers resting over Shiro’s forehead. “Are you well? Is something wrong?”

Shiro held the delicate little cake to his chest, trying to protect it from rain and tears. “I’m sorry. You caught me off guard. I just never expected anything so thoughtful.” He looked up, blinking. “Thank you, Keith.”

Keith gave a faint smile, his slightly tapered ears twitching. “It’s just a small token.”

Bringing the cake to his mouth, Shiro tasted it, smearing honey on his lips. “It’s the best possible gift you could have given me.” He held up the violet. “You remembered.”

“It was my first year at the castle. They made enough cakes for all the kingsguards and their families. I thought it was strange that royals ate flowers.” He tapped his boot at the roots of the tree. “Strange to think I didn’t know you then.”

“It is strange.” Shiro ate the violet, letting its faint flavor cover his tongue. “I can’t imagine my life without you.” 

Shiro blinks again. Something doesn’t just taste like flowers; it smells like them. 

The air seems thick with their scent. He tries to move, but his limbs feel heavy, leaden. He speaks Keith’s name once, twice. The stories say that if you say an elf’s true name three times, they have to reveal themselves. But Keith’s not a full elf. It’s so dark. Shiro wants to open his eyes, wants to see, but the night is thick against his eyelids. 

Pain washes through his body. The first wave is tentative, and the second is an undertow, dragging Shiro under. He gasps. The breath feels like a dagger between his ribs. He hears a racing heartbeat and it takes him a moment to realize it’s not his own pounding in his ears. It’s Keith’s. He’s held in Keith’s arms, clutched against his lean chest. However far they had to travel, Keith’s carried him. 

The world rocks suddenly and Shiro hits the ground. Arms gather around him as murmured apologies brush against his neck. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Keith’s voice breaks. “We’re close. We’re so close.” Keith tries to stand, but he falls to his knees again.

“Keith.” Shiro’s hand clutches in Keith’s tunic. It’s slick with blood. When did he get injured? “You’re bleeding. Keith, you--”

“The pool’s over there,” Keith rasps, his breathing shaky. “I can do it.” He wobbles, tries to stand again, and lets out a soft whimper. “I can. For you.”

The pain raging in Shiro’s body makes it difficult to move, but Shiro gets his feet under him. He grunts, holding on to Keith. “We can make it together.”

Keith shudders, managing a nod, and they cling to each other as they take a step forward, and another. Everything hurts and Shiro wants nothing more than to collapse, but the solid weight of Keith’s body along his side propels him to keep walking, even though his vision goes blurry around the edges. 

The pool glows luminous under the moon, its waters sparkling with otherworldly light. A ring of rowan trees surrounds it, a ward against evil. Keith holds up his elflight, which is barely a faint ember now, and the trees sway open, allowing them entrance. 

“Your light, Keith,” Shiro whispers, afraid to speak too loudly on sacred ground. “You’ve used too much magic. If it goes out--”

“Shh,” Keith hushes. They’re only steps away from the shallow end of the pool, their breaths harsh in the quiet glen. “Need to,” Keith gasps. “Take your armor off. Dishonors the…” Keith sinks to his knees, his body going limp. His elflight torch drops from his hand, smoke rising from its dying flame.

“Keith. Keith!” Shiro starts tearing frantically at Keith’s clothes, undoing the ties to his cloak and gauntlets. “Please,” Shiro grits between his teeth, unbuckling his weapons belt before pulling off boots and pants. The tunic comes away, revealing a long, jagged wound from his right shoulder down below his collarbone. Keith’s so beautiful, long-limbed and lithe, but blood smears his pale skin, tracking down his chest and side. Shiro’s lungs constrict. He looks like a felled swan.

He drags Keith to the edge, the sobs welling in his throat threatening to cut off his air. “You never said. You should have told me. We protect each other. That’s what we promised.” Shiro’s hands shake as he tears away his makeshift armor, the few pieces they’ve found along the way. He uses his elfmade arm to rip away his chainmail, a wretched cry ripping from his throat as he tugs at his wounds. Thin black marks permeate his skin, traveling along his veins like roots through soil. The poison is all through him now, but at least he can save Keith. “I have you. I have you.”

WIth the last of his strength, he gathers Keith’s naked body into his arms and steps into the pool. His knees give out, but the water catches them both. 

It’s so _blissfully_ cool. 

Light rises from the surface of the water, illuminating the pool in soft aquamarine. Shiro holds Keith against his chest. He can’t tell if Keith’s breathing or not. “Please,” he whispers, to the water, to the fairies, to the gods. “You need to save him. Please.” He presses his cheek against Keith’s forehead. “He’s all I have.”

Something flits by Shiro’s ear, faster than he can see, then another. The air surrounding the pool shimmers, as if circled by iridescent petals. Shiro thinks of the cherry blossoms that bloom around the castle garden. A voice, both small and powerful, speaks through the water. “Little human prince. You bring us one of the Queen’s children.”

“I...I do.” Shiro winces, fighting back a wave of pain. “Her son.”

“The half-elf.” The water around Keith brightens. “We honor her and so we honor her child. Our waters will restore his magic and heal his wounds. This we do for our kind.” The petals around the pool begin to swirl, gaining speed as they create a dizzying circle around Keith. “Blessed are the children of Krolia.”

Light descends from the stars themselves, falling from the skies and landing on the surface of the water, drenching Keith in brightness. It’s too powerful for Shiro’s eyes, and he squeezes them shut, temporarily blinded. If this is the last thing I do, Shiro thinks, it’s worth it. Saving him is worth it. 

The starlight dissipates and Shiro’s vision returns. Against his chest, Keith stirs, his slim fingers gripping Shiro’s forearm. “Shiro.”

“They saved you.” Shiro bows, not sure if that’s the appropriate gesture, but hoping his appreciation for the fairies’ deed comes across. He smooths a hand over Keith’s shoulder where the flesh is now knit back together. “You’re healed.” Something warm drips down from Shiro’s nose. A single drop of blood lands in the water.

“Shiro!’ Keith catches him before Shiro slides into the pool. “You only healed me! You need to heal him, too!”

The voice speaks again, but Shiro can only just make out the words. “We serve the Queen. We care for those who belong to her.”

Keith grips Shiro’s elfmade arm. “My mother made this for him. She saw fit to give him back his arm. You need to save his life!”

“The Queen can grant gifts as she sees fit.” The voice troubles the surface of the water, creating ripples. “What is he to you?”

Shiro can barely lift his chin above the water. Keith’s chest is warm and safe, and the grounding thrum of his heartbeat soothes him. The poison slows Shiro’s breath, drops his pulse. He stares up at Keith, grateful to have something beautiful to look at before his life ebbs away. 

“What is he to me?” Keith repeats. “He’s everything.” Keith draws a ragged breath before his voice rings out over the water. “I claim him. Do you hear me? I claim him. If he’s mine, then you must heal him.”

The voice hums. “There is no vow on his body. Without that, we cannot.”

The world dips in and out of total darkness; one moment the moon hangs full, and the next, it’s gone. Keith is saying his name. Shiro blinks. The moon is back. “Shiro!”

His voice is like a dream. “Keith.”

“Please,” Keith says, his eyes on Shiro. All Shiro can see now are his eyes. Violet. Viola. Like the flower. Like the night sky. “You need to trust me. Shiro, I, I love you. Just know that.”

The words fill Shiro’s chest, taking the place of the breath he lacks. “I,” Shiro gasps, “Love you too.”

Keith leans close, closing his eyes for a long moment. Shiro wants to kiss him, wants to hold him, but he can’t move. There’s no strength left in him. “I claim you, Prince Takashi Shirogane.” He presses his lips over Shiro’s heart, and for a brief moment, red light shimmers between them. When Keith pulls away, a faint, glowing mark rises on Shiro’s skin. “There’s a vow on him now. Do as I say!”

All around Shiro, the water starts to ripple. The moon is gone again and the stars have gone out, leaving the sky dark. The voice speaks, deep as thunder. “What belongs to elfkind will be healed.”

Shiro sinks below the surface of the water. For a long moment, it’s quiet. 

Warmth surrounds him, raising him up. Around the edges of his vision, light flashes, and his ears are filled with roaring, a waterfall raining down on him. As quickly as it began, everything stops, and Shiro slowly opens his eyes.

“Oh gods,” Keith says, his hand tracing Shiro’s jaw. “You’re alive.”

Shiro holds up his flesh arm. “Keith.” The black trails through his veins have vanish. His wounds are gone, leaving unbroken skin. “You, you said you love me.” He’s afraid to breathe. Maybe he dreamed it. 

A soft laugh escapes Keith. “As if you didn’t know.”

“I didn’t! You never said!” Shiro tries to stand, but his legs wobble and he tips forward. Keith, as ever, catches him. His skin feels like sunlight. “You’re my sworn shield. You stay with me because of duty.”

“You haven’t realized why I stay with you?” Keith smooths Shiro’s wet hair back from his forehead. “It’s not duty. It may have started that way, but I’m by your side because I love you. I protect you because I love you.” He drops his chin, his mouth turning. “But I failed. You got hurt. You nearly died.”

“You saved me.” Shiro looks down at his chest, examining the tiny glint of red light on his skin. It looks like a gleaming speck of starlight. “What did you do?”

Keith swallows, his grip on Shiro tightening. “It’s a claim. I, I put a vow on you. It’s a tiny bit of my elflight. It pledges me to you.” He lets out a shaky exhale. “It means we’re bound.”

“Bound?”

“You and me. Our lives are connected now. More than that.” Keith stops, the muscles in his jaw moving under the skin. 

Shiro reaches up, thumb brushing over the worry line between his eyebrows. “Our lives _are_ connected. Have been for a long time. This mark only proves it.” 

“It’s more like souls.” Keith touches the vow, covering it with his palm. “I went too far.”

He lets out a quiet sigh. “You were the only one in my entire realm who stood by me. You’ve stayed by my side even when we had nothing to eat, nowhere to sleep.” He lifts his gaze to Keith’s. “You go too far, and it means everything.”

Keith’s half-smile curves up. “Because I love you.”

“You love me.” Shiro’s head falls back, a shocked laugh escaping him. 

“Why is that so hard for you to believe?”

“I’m a prince with no throne. I’ve got a price on my head and barely a few coins in my pocket.” He glances down at himself. “And I’m human.”

Keith leans closer. His wet hair falls over his brow like a raven’s wing. “I like humans. Well, one human.” He kisses Shiro’s forehead. “This isn’t anything like your stories. I gave you my vow and I’ve never even kissed you.”

Shiro sways into Keith’s touch. “I wish that you would.”

“Anything for you, my prince.” Keith’s hand slips around the back of Shiro’s neck as he draws him close, pressing his mouth to Shiro’s. The warmth of Keith’s lips feels like summer. He’s always so _warm_. 

The first kiss is quick, hesitant, but no less beautiful for its brevity. Shiro hums a laugh against Keith’s neck, his arms gathered around Keith. “Can I try that again?”

The light reflecting off the pool reveals Keith’s blush. “I didn’t want to take advantage.”

“You just put a bit of your elflight in me to bring me back from the brink of death. You don’t need to hold back.” He sweeps his palm along Keith’s spine. “I love you, too, remember?”

Shiro leans in, feeling Keith’s body relax against him, their breathing falling into rhythm as he deepens their kiss, his lips parting for Keith. Keith’s grip around the back of Shiro’s neck tightens and their hips grind against each other under the water. When the kiss ends, Keith licks a drop of water from Shiro’s chin. “I’ve watched humans for a long time, but is this how you court?”

“Which part?” Shiro can’t help but brush his knuckles over Keith’s cheekbone. He’s just so beautiful.

“The licking. And the swelling.” Keith’s hand disappears below the water and suddenly Shiro realizes Keith’s got his hand around Shiro’s cock. “I felt you against me.”

Shiro lets out an undignified squeak. “Keith, I--”

Keith pulls his hand away. “Did I hurt you? Is that not what humans do? I apologize.” 

“We do! We do. You didn’t hurt me. You just surprised me.” Shiro lets out a shaky laugh. “You’re fine. You can touch me.” It’s at that moment that Shiro realizes how naked they both are and how they’ve never been this close, not even on the coldest night on the road. They’ve bathed together before, but always filthy and fraught. They’ve been on the run so long that just being able to stop, to breathe, to take in Keith’s beauty, makes Shiro’s mind reel. 

“Keith.” Shiro smooths a thumb over Keith’s cheek. A faint light rises from his skin, like he’s lit from within, a vibrant inner fire. “You’re glowing.”

“I am?” Keith looks down. He huffs a laugh, pulling Shiro a little closer. “Oh. It’s the vow.” 

“What?”

“It’s on you, too, see?” Keith points to the tiny ember shimmering on Shiro’s chest. “When the vow is returned, and my magic’s fully restored, well. If I were a full elf, it would be brighter.” He sounds bashful and Shiro wants to kiss away his discomfort. “I didn’t know if it would happen for me. I suppose that’s strange for you.”

“You’re saying we’re so in love that we’re actually glowing.” Shiro laughs, stroking Keith’s skin. “It’s incredible.” 

“You don’t mind it?” Keith kisses along his collarbone and Shiro melts into his touch. Keith’s like magic come to life and he can’t believe he can hold him inside of his arms. 

“I love it. I love everything about you.” Shiro can feel Keith’s heart beat against his chest, strong and fast. It makes him feel bolder, braver. “Will you always glow like this? Will we?”

“Not once we leave the fairy pools. It’ll only happen in places where the wild magic flows.” Keith’s fingers are in Shiro’s hair, his touch gentle. “You are so beautiful. My starlight prince.” 

“How long,” Shiro says in between kisses. Keith’s mouth makes him _want_. Want things he’s never wanted before. Want to be touched in ways that he’s only dreamed about. “How long have you been in love with me?”

Keith returns the kisses, dragging Shiro’s lower lip between his teeth before he lets it go. “I knew before you lost your arm. It’s why I knew my mother would heal you. She saw my love for you then. I didn’t have to say.”

Shiro blinked. “That long?”

“Was it more recent for you?” Keith’s hands slide around to Shiro’s ass, gently squeezing. “The love?”

“I don’t know,” Shiro says, nuzzling into Keith’s neck. Even in the water, he can still smell him, the warm scent of his skin. It’s like sage and cinnamon and everything that’s wild. It’s intoxicating. “I think I was in love with you longer than I realized, but the moment my uncle called the guards and you took my hand and ran with me from the throne room, I knew.” He can feel the strength of Keith, the lines of his muscles and whipcord body. “You took my hand and you never let go.”

Keith lets out a soft breath. “I take my promises seriously.”

“I know you do.”

There’s so much to say but Shiro can’t help himself from diving back into kissing Keith. He never wants it to stop. As Shiro winds his elfmade hand through Keith’s hair, his flesh fingers grip Keith’s hip, pushing them closer. Keith’s hand slips under the water again and Shiro can’t help but shudder when Keith’s palm grazes against his cock. 

“Keith,” Shiro groans, his knees buckling a little as Keith starts to stroke him.

“Humans like this, yes?” He grins, his smile sharp and lovely.

“Yes,” Shiro manages, trying to focus but Keith’s hand is so warm and deft, and Shiro’s aching, thighs trembling. 

“I’ve seen other humans do this. Will you spill like they do?”

“Shit,” Shiro grips Keith’s shoulders, eyes shut. “Yes.”

“Good,” Keith says, intensifying his pace. “Next time I wish to see you above the water. I want to see all of you.” Shiro grunts, holding back a moan, and Keith kisses along his jaw. “Make your pretty sounds, my prince. I would so love to hear you.”

Shiro’s breath is harsh in his own ears as the fire in his belly starts to crest. He’s never in his life allowed himself to make a sound when he pleasures himself. There’s always been guards and staff and valets and far too many people around for him to feel safe. Shiro doesn’t like to feel exposed like this, and yet, with Keith somehow it doesn’t feel frightening. A soft moan slips out between his teeth.

“Lovely. Yes, sweetheart. More, please.” Keith starts to suck on his neck as he strokes Shiro so perfectly, and Shiro keens. “Listen to you. I can feel you shaking, love, are you going to spill for me now?”

Shiro comes so hard that he’s grateful to be holding on to Keith, and all the sounds that come out of him are needy and plaintive. “I didn’t mean to,” Shiro says, voice ragged. “It’s not usually so fast.” 

“Then it was pleasant if it happened quickly,” Keith says, a bit of pride in his voice. “I made you feel good.”

“You did. So good. Better than I could have imagined.” He buries his face in Keith’s neck, embarrassed, but Keith soothes Shiro’s shaking. 

“I once found a book in the castle library about human pleasure and I took care to remember in case you ever let me touch you.” Keith nuzzles him back. “There are other things I wish to do.”

Somehow this isn’t surprising. Keith’s more curious about the world than anyone Shiro’s ever met. “You did research. About sex.” 

“For you, yes. So beautiful, Shiro. Gods, I loved seeing you like that. I wish to see you like that as often as you please. I want to find out all the ways I can touch you to make those stunning sounds again. My perfect prince.” He pulls himself closer to Shiro, guiding his hand. “Will you touch me, too?”

“May I?” Shiro understands that Keith’s got his cock pressed against Shiro’s thigh under the water, but he still is finding it a little difficult to believe that his sworn shield wants him to touch it. 

“Please.” Keith’s head tips back the moment Shiro’s fingers come in contact with his skin. “Gods. Yes.”

Shiro blushes. “Do you like the same thing I do?” He’s seen Keith’s cock before and he knows it looks very similar to his own, but he wonders what other secrets Keith’s body possesses. 

Keith’s voice is a whisper in his ear, making Shiro’s skin break out in gooseflesh. “The tip is very sensitive.”

The forest wouldn’t be the death of him, Shiro decides. It’s definitely going to be Keith and his unbelievable mouth. He strokes Keith’s cock, using Keith’s breathing to measure how pleasurable it is for him. When he starts to play with the cockhead, Keith starts to pant, and he moans, his fingers digging into Shiro’s back. Keith’s not wrong; the moans are incredible, echoing over the water, and Shiro presses his mouth near Keith’s ear. “That’s it, love. You’re so beautiful, glowing like a constellation, all lit up for me. Come for me, sweetheart. Let me see you.”

Keith’s hips jerk against Shiro’s hand as he lets out a shout, his entire body tight as a bowstring before he comes, falling against Shiro as he rides out his release. It goes on for what feels like ages, and Shiro can’t help but imagine what Keith will be like in bed, as a lover, buried in Shiro like a sheath. 

“Gods,” Keith says, panting for breath, “I’ve never been touched like that.” He kisses Shiro and then pulls away with a smile. “I would like for you to touch me often.”

“Not in court?” Shiro says softly.

Keith shakes his head. “I only care for one human.”

They hold each other until their hearts slow down and their breathing begins to match, and Shiro thinks he’s never been more at peace in his entire life. He doesn’t want to leave this place, this perfect haven. He doesn’t want to step out from inside of Keith’s arms. He wants to feel him breathe, see him glow, know that they’re both safe, protected. 

But even fairy water starts to get cold after a while and Shiro tries not to shiver, but Keith notices, because he always notices. “We should find our clothes. You’re cold.” Shiro tries to protest but Keith takes his hand anyway, leading him from the water. 

They dress, but Keith leaves off his armor and bids Shiro to do the same. “No one will enter this grove until we leave. The magic in this place is stronger than anything in the forest, or anyone.” He sits on the soft grass, patting the space beside him. “Will you rest with me?”

They’ve slept in the same bed before, but Shiro’s never put his cheek on Keith’s thigh or allowed himself such closeness. Keith’s fingers card through Shiro’s wet hair, the touch gentle and soothing. “Where do you want to go next?”

Shiro can’t help the way his eyes flicker north, and Keith nods. “Your vassals, the Holts, are that way. You wish to join them?”

Shiro’s chest tightens. He reaches for Keith’s hand, squeezing it. “I can’t ask you to keep risking your life for me. If we go after our few allies, it’ll mean war. I don’t want to fight. I don’t want to lose you.”

Keith leans down to press a kiss to his crown. “Where you go, I go, my prince. My sword and my heart are yours.”

“Keith.” Shiro looks up at him, studying the way the light suffuses his skin. It makes Shiro believe that maybe, in spite of all that’s gone wrong, perhaps his life could go right again. “I don’t know which way we should go.” His voice shakes. “I just know I want you to be safe.”

“Then we both want the same thing, since that is my wish for you.” He lifts Shiro’s hand to his mouth, kissing his knuckles. “I think you should sleep. In the morning, we’ll gather apples and honey and feast, and we’ll decide what path to take together.”

Shiro lets out a soft sigh. Keith makes it all sound so easy. It won’t be, he knows, but with Keith by his side, the journey will be lighter. “Apples and honey, you say?”

“You deserve something sweet.” Keith’s fingers feather over Shiro’s eyelids. “Dreams by fairy pools are lovely, Shiro. Go find one.”

Shiro settles more comfortably against Keith’s thigh, closing his eyes. “I already did.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> I'm on tw [@] starlitruns ✨


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